MNW
The first edition of the 3x3 Arab Women’s
Basketball Tournament will kick start tomorrow (Sunday)with the participation
of 16clubs
from 8 Arab countries. The Tournament will be hosted in Sharjah under the
patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson
of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs and wife of His Highness the Ruler of
Sharjah.
Titled ‘Above the Rim, We Score,’ the
inaugural pan-Arab women basketball competition is being organised by the Women
Sport Department (WSD) at Sharjah Ladies Club (SLC) in collaboration with the
Arab Basketball Federation, the UAE Basketball Association and Sharjah Sports
Council, and will run on till 31 October.
3x3 basketball is a form of the game played
with three players on each side andone hoop instead of the normal two. As the
first tournament of its type in the Middle East, the 3x3 Arab Women’s
Basketball Tournament has generated a great deal of interest among the 3x3 Competitions
Commission at the International Basketball Federation, which aims to increase
the prevalence and popularity of the game.
Clubs entering the contest with one team are Olympic
Club from Algeria, Halabja Club from Iraq, the Lebanese International
University Club from Lebanon, the University Student Team from Palestine and the
Ministry of Youth and Sports’ team from Bahrain. Clubs that are participating
with two teams are the host team Sharjah Ladies Club, The Sporting Club from
Egypt, G.S. Petroliers Club from Algeria, Orthodox Club from Jordan and Al
Fahees Club, also from Jordan.
Nada Al Naqbi, Director of Women Sports
Department in Sharjah, Chairperson of the Women's Committee at the Arab
Basketball Federation and Head of the Higher Organising Committee of the
tournament,said that the participation of teams from Palestine and Bahrainhad given
a big boost to the pioneering pan-Arab women tournament, considering that its primary
goal is to advance the performance of Arab female players and give them the
opportunity to compete globally. The competition has received international
accreditation, qualifying Arab women athletes who participate to obtain FIBA
recognition as professional international players.
Al Naqbi said: "The 3x3 Arab Women
Basketball Tournamentprovides Arab athletes with a great opportunity to gain
experience, develop their skills and enjoy good natured rivalry with a host of
international participants. A successful tournament, along with FIBA's
recognition of its players, will motivate Sharjah Ladies Club and other women's
clubs in Arab countries to step up and take part in even more regional and international
competitions, with the ultimate goal being representation at global championship
tournaments."
“The title of the tournament, ‘Above the Rim,
We Score,’ is inspired by the rules of the 3x3 basketball game, which sees all players
scoring in one basket and sharing a half-court. The objective of our hosting of
the competition is to elevate the stature of Arab women athletes and to introduce
new games to Sharjah, which we hope will further the spirit of honourable
competition as well as broaden opportunities for Arab women to clinch global
titles,"she added.
Al Naqbi thanked both Sharjah Sports Council
for its role as SLC's permanent strategic partner and Sheikha Fatima bint
Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy for sponsoring the event and for advancing
women's roles in sport and public life. She also extended special thanks to Sharjah
International Airport for the ongoing support it provides for SLC's array of
activities and tournaments.
WSD was established in 2008 under a
resolution issued by Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi. The first-of-its-kind
initiative in Sharjah, the department is dedicated to building a distinguished
athletic women's community that can compete successfully in regional and
international competitions. It works towards this by creating and supervising women's
sports teams and ensuring the establishment of an infrastructure that helps
achieve desired goals.